BIKDS. 73 



as has been observed, is cruel, unclean, and indolent. Their 

 sense of smelling, however, is amazingly great ; and Niiture, for 

 this purpose, has given them two large apertures oi nostrils 

 without, and an extensive olfactory membrane within.* Their 

 intestines are formed differently from those of the eagle kind ; 

 for they partake more of the formation of such birds as live upon 

 grain. They have both a crop and a stomach ; which may be 

 regarded as a kind of gizzard, from the extreme thickness of the 

 muscles of which it is composed. In fact, they seem adapted 

 inwardly, not only for being carnivorous, but to eat corn or what- 

 soever of that kind comes in the way. 



This bird, which is common in many parts of Europe, and 

 but too well known on the western continent, is totally unknown 

 in England. In Egypt, Arabia, and many other kingdoms of 

 Africa and Asia, vultures are found in great abundance. The 

 inside down of their wing is converted into a very warm and 

 comfortable kind of fur, and is commonly sold in the Asiatic 

 markets. 



Indeed, in Egypt, this bird seems to be of singular service. 

 There are great flocks of them in the neighbourhood of Grand 

 Cairo, which no person is permitted to destroy. The service 

 they render the inhabitants is the devouring of all the carrion 

 and filth of that great city; which might otherwise tend to cor. 

 nipt and putrefy the air. They are commonly seen in company 



* It is now imagined by naturalists, that it is the eye, and not the scent, 

 which leads birds to their prey. The toucan is a bird which ranks next to 

 the vulture in discerning-, whether by smell or sight, the carrion on which 

 it feeds. The immense size of its bill, which is many times larger than its 

 head, was supposed to present in its honeycomb texture an extensive pro. 

 longation of the olfactory nerve, and thus to account for its smelling at great 

 distances ; but on accurate examination, the texture above mentioned in the 

 bill is found to be mere diploe, to give the bill strength. Now the eye of 

 this bird is somewhat larger than the wliole brain ; and it has been ascer- 

 tained by direct experiments, that where very putrid carrion was inclosed 

 in a basket from which effluvia could freely emanate, but which concealed 

 the otfal from sight, it attracted no attention from vultures and other birds 

 of prey till it was exposed to their view, when they immediately recognized 

 their object, and others came rapidly from different quarters of the horizon 

 wliere they were invisible a few minutes before. This sudden appearance 

 of birds of prey from immense distances and in every direction, however the 

 wind may blow, is accounted for by their soaring to an altitude. In this 

 Bituation, their prey on the groimd is seen by them, however minute it may 

 be ; and therefore their appearance in our sight is merely their descent froiu 

 high regionj to within the scope of our optics. 



III. a 



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